Traditionally, cellular wireless communication systems have focused on mobile telephony and wireless local area network (LAN) communications. In such systems a base station at a fixed location has an omni-directional antenna for bi-directional communication with a mobile terminal as it travels throughout the cell area covered by the base station. The terminal also has an omni-directional antenna to enable reception of communication regardless of location within the cell. Omni-directional receivers tend to be relatively polarization insensitive.
Microwave radio frequencies in the GHz range are being allotted to wireless service providers through allocated frequency licenses. A license will conventionally cover a frequency range and the licensee will attempt to optimize utilization of the range through frequency multiplexing (so-called frequency plans) whereby the frequency range is subdivided into narrow bands or channels. Notwithstanding this subdivision it is to a licensee's advantage to optimize utilization of each frequency within the allocated frequency range.
In broadband communication of the type contemplated by the present invention, for example asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, both the base station which serves as an ATM switch and usually the customer or user at a remote site are in a fixed location. This factor allows the utilization of directional transceivers at both the base station and the remote site.